A Death in the Family
by amethystwrites
Summary: While starting their new life in Seattle, Dylan and Emma receive unsettling news about Norma.


Seattle was a beautiful change of scenery for Emma. Leaving White Pine Bay had been difficult, sure. She'd miss living out her every day routine there; she'd miss her dad's little shop and their house and her dear old room, she'd miss the Bates Motel and Norman and Norma and even the locals she'd say hello to every morning. She'd hold all those memories dear, but Seattle was so new and different and refreshing; just the feeling she needed on top of this new life she had already started living after her lung transplant. She felt like a completely different person; she felt _alive_ for once. While she felt like it was mainly a personal journey, Dylan was definitely a huge part of what made her who she was today. He made her feel strong when she thought she was weak, told her to get up and fight when she wanted to give up. She felt incredibly lucky to have someone as special as him in her life. He'd been there the whole time, staring her right in the face. It might have took a while but they were together now, as she'd said to Norma, they'd finally _seen_ each other.

She smiled contently as she began the process of unpacking all her things into her new room; her dad and Dylan out retrieving all the boring supplies for the house. Just under the music she was blasting out of the radio, Emma could hear the faint sound of what she thought was a phone buzzing. She turned the volume down and stood still for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion over where the sound was coming from.

"Oh!"

She set her eyes on a phone sitting atop of one of the cardboard boxes that held all her things from the old house. Dylan must've forgotten it before he left. As she got closer, the name shown across the screen was Caleb's. So, he'd already told Caleb his new number but Norma was none the wiser. Something that personally, she didn't agree with, but she wasn't about to start a debate about it. She didn't really understand Dylan's situation and what he was going through; at least not enough to tell him what he should and shouldn't do. The phone didn't stop ringing, so in concern that the call was urgent Emma thought it best to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Oh...is that...is that Emma?"

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry, Dylan must've left his phone."

"So he's not there right now?"

"No, he isn't. He's gone out with my dad; I don't think he should be too long. I mean I'd text him and ask him, but..." She shrugged, laughing quietly. Her laugh faded when she realised there was simply silence on the other end. Caleb seemed different. His voice seemed different; flat and low and thick with something that resembled emotion, but she wasn't completely sure.

"Hey, I don't mean to pry...I mean I probably shouldn't have even answered his phone at all but is everything okay? Can I leave a message at all? Or is this something that you need to speak to Dylan about privately? Because that's totally okay, I can just-"

"Listen, Emma, I got a call this morning..."

 _That's never good_.

She frowned, beginning to slowly pace around the room. Her concern was growing now; whatever this was did not sound good. "Okay..." She cautiously urged Caleb to elaborate.

"It's Norma."

She paused. Stopped speaking, stopped moving, stopped everything.

"Wait, what do you mean? Caleb what happened?"

"She..." His voice cracked, and tears began to build in Emma's eyes as her mind began putting pieces of the worst case scenario together. No, she thought. That couldn't be possible.

"Caleb..." She urged; not angrily but fearfully, like she almost knew what was coming but the uncertainty was making it all worse.

"She's...she's gone..." He said almost emptily; an attempt at keeping composure which soon proved impossible as began to sob on the other end of the phone, muttering a few inaudible grief-stricken curses under his breath.

Her breath hitched as her previous fear was confirmed. She wanted to believe it wasn't true. After all he didn't _say_ it. He didn't say the words.

There was silence on the other end for a moment aside from muffled sniffling sounds; like Caleb had set his phone down briefly to compose himself before continuing.

"They said it was carbon monoxide poisoning. I-uhm, they found a note. To her husband. So they think..."

"Oh my god," She brought her free hand up to her face, her fingers brushing her lips in shock. Was she really hearing this correctly? "I don't...Caleb, I don't even know what to say."

"Hey, look, I can call Dylan back. If it's going to be hard for you, I mean, to-"

"No!" She interrupted harshly then bit down on her lip. "I-I mean no, please, I'd rather tell him myself. This isn't an over the phone thing, at least it really shouldn't be." Her voice was shaky now, trying her best to keep composure in order to be somewhat assertive.

"Okay, well, I gotta go. Have him call me, yeah? I just...I need to talk to him."

"Yeah, no...I understand. I will." She nodded slowly, tangling a hand in in her hair and closing her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Caleb..."

The minute the line cut off, Emma put the phone back down on top of the cardboard box where it had previously resided and began pacing the room again. She stumbled slightly and reached her hand out, placing a hand against the wall for support as she began to break down into tears.

Norma was like a mother figure to her; the only thing that kept her from being upset over not having that special mother/daughter bond with her own mother. Sure they'd had their ups and downs; there'd been moments where Emma felt like she didn't belong in this family, but those moments were balanced out by the amount of love and support she received from Norma. The Bates Motel was like a second home to her, and now it would only be a cruel reminder of what had been taken away from her; taken from this whole family unit. Norma was like the glue, really. She held everything and everyone together despite being broken herself.

And now she was gone.

* * *

After his argument with Norma, Dylan had started to brush that whole side of his life aside. He started by finally making that journey to Seattle with Emma and her father, then changing his phone number. Already he felt a twang of regret for cutting Norma out of his life; but he was so frustrated with her for the way she was handling things that this is what he'd reduced to. If she didn't have Alex, he would never have left her alone. No matter how pissed he was with her; it wasn't enough to let her get hurt. With Alex there, he thought she'd be safe.

Dylan had never liked change, but this particular change was good for him. He loved Emma, and to be able to spend all of his days with her was something he wouldn't trade for the world. The thought of living with your girlfriend and her dad would, for most guys, be a daunting thought. It failed to faze Dylan. Will was a good guy; welcomed him kindly into their little family. Until they possibly sorted out their own place, living all under the same roof would hardly be torturous.

Having just returned from a quick shopping trip with Will, Dylan walked inside the house and placed the bags down in the kitchen.

"Emma, we're back darlin'" Will shouted up to his daughter as he aided Dylan in unpacking the shopping.

There was no response; in fact nothing but silence. Even the feel-good music she'd been playing all morning had stopped. They'd have thought it to be in character for Emma to come hurrying down the stairs in happiness over their return-but nothing.

"I'll be back in a sec." Dylan nodded towards Will, a small frown appearing on his face in slight concern at her silence.

He walked up the stairs, looking around as he got to the top. "Emma?"

Still; silence.

He walked over to her bedroom, inching the door open quietly and peering over the door. When he caught a look of her he stood upright, concern etched on his features. "Emma?" She was sat on her bed; eyes red and irritated from tears, biting her nails. She simply shook her head, avoiding his gaze. "Hey, hey hey-what's wrong, what's happened?" He walked over to her worriedly, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently pulling her hand away from her face.

"Dylan, I, it's-" Emma stammered; not knowing where to begin or how she could bring herself to break such awful news to her own boyfriend.

"Hey, listen to me, breathe? Okay?"

She paused for a few seconds and took deep breaths.

 _Inhale, exhale_.

After so many years of needing a portable oxygen tank to aid her in such a simple task; she'd almost forgotten what the satisfaction had felt like.

"Now tell me what's wrong."

She paused once again; speechless. Her eyes were full of tears as she tilted her head to the side slightly, reaching out to hold Dylan's face. He placed his hands on top of hers and looked her in the eyes, his own full of fear and concern while hers had softness to them. Scared and sad and empty.

"Emma..."

"It's your mom." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

His hands released their grip on hers and slid down her arms softly, pulling back from their embrace ever so slightly. "What has she done? Has she said something to you? Because we argued, and I said some bad things, but dammit Emma if she's taken it out on you I swear-"

"No," She shook her head, her voice almost a squeak this point. "Dylan, no, please don't. Not now. That's not what I mean. She-something...happened..."

Suddenly his mood switched. His face morphed from anger into fear. "What? Wait...what do you mean?"

"There's been an accident."

And in that very moment, everything hit him all at once.

Panic. Fear. Sadness. Guilt. _Doubt_.

"Is she okay?"

The look on Dylan's face was like a stab to the gut. He looked so vulnerable and afraid; unable to accept the inevitable truth. Emma had never seen him like this and it was so painful to see. It made all of this so much more difficult.

"She's gone, Dylan..."

He simply stared at her; straight through her, in fact, almost as if she wasn't even there. Frozen to the spot, he didn't utter a word.

"Dylan?"

* * *

"Mom?" The young boy whispered as he patted the end of Norma's bed. Sam had fallen asleep-passed out probably-on the sofa downstairs, otherwise he wouldn't dare venture into the room.

"Dylan?" Norma squinted in annoyance, switching on the lamp at the side of her bed. " _Come on_ , you should be fast asleep by now."

"I _can't_ sleep, otherwise I would. Duh."

Norma had never met a stroppier 7 year old in her life. Ever since Norman was born, the closeness of her and Dylan's relationship had faded considerably. She could tell that as he got older and wiser, it would only become worse. Already he could tell that she was paying far more attention to Norman, but as of right now it was just little kid jealousy. All she could do now was simply treasure the nice moments they still shared before their disputes began to become much more serious.

"Why not, hun? Come up here." She tapped the space next to her worryingly.

"Sam let me watch a bad show." He wiggled his way up to sit on her bed, slumping down next to her.

"Again?" She sighed, combing her fingers through his hair comfortingly. "Was it the one with the scary monsters?"

"No!" He whined, shying away from her reach and folding his arms. "Mom, I told you before, they don't scare me anymore. I'm too old."

"Hey, okay okay!" She held up her hands in surrender; still utterly unconvinced but she wasn't going to poke the hornet's nest. "Come on, what was it then?"

"Well...there was a little boy, and...and he woke up and his house was on fire. His mom and dad were in their bedroom and...he went to get them and...they didn't woke up.."

"Didn't _wake_ up, Dylan." She corrected firstly, sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sweetie, it's just a TV show."

"Yeah but things like that do actually happen! Sam said so!"

"Sam? Oh for-" She tutted, pulling the child close to her. "Honey, listen to me, okay? You shouldn't be thinking about those kind of things at your age. Sam is putting bad thoughts in your head because he's a silly old man and he sucks."

Norma heard a quiet giggle escape her son's lips, which made her smile. "He _is_! Nothing more than a silly old man."

"Does he have a walking stick?"

"Yep!" Her playing along only sent Dylan further into his little giggle fit.

"And at night, before bed?" She whispered. "He takes out his false teeth and he leaves them in here." She said with a serious tone to her voice, tapping the convenient glass of water next to Sam's side of the bed.

"Eew!" He laughed.

"Right?!" Norma exclaimed, screwing her face up in disgust.

Dylan shuffled in his spot, leaning his head against Norma's arm.

She smiled fondly at the recently rare contact, kissing the top of his head. "I'm not budgin' right up until the day i'm old and silly like Sam is."

"You're not?"

"I promise you i'm not. Do you believe me?"

"Yes..." He nodded, an adorable little frown etched on his youthful features.

"Hey," she tapped his nose lightly, unwilling to accept his lack of enthusiasm. "Do you, or do you not?" she repeated, raising her voice this time.

"Yes, okay, I do!" He reiterated with a sigh-a typical teenager sigh-demonstrating once again the idea that he was way too old before his time.

"Good. Now, get those silly little thoughts out of your head and go to sleep."

* * *

"How did it happen?"

"Hey, you don't need to-"

"No. Tell me, I want to know."

"I really...I don't know much. Caleb just said...he said that she had carbon monoxide poisoning. And that-"

"And that what?"

"They found a note. They think..." she lowered her head, her voice quietening slightly. "They think it might've been a suicide."

"God dammit!" He yelled, swiping his arm across the top of one of the boxes and sending his phone flying across the room.

Emma jumped at his sudden outburst, feeling herself back on the verge of tears. He could've cried; he could've sobbed right in front of her but this was _far_ worse to watch. "It isn't certain that that's what happened, Dylan. We don't know-"

"Think about it, Em! Everyone around her was telling her that she was blind, that she was stupid for letting Norman come back home. He isn't the same little boy anymore, he has a serious mental disorder and she had no idea how to deal with it. And look at everything...everything that's happened to her. She was raped, not even once or twice but _god knows_ how many times in her life. And all the rest of it. It all got too much for her." He ran his hands through his hair, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"She was suffering and I added to it. I pushed her to the fucking edge." He shouted, an audible crack present in his voice in his last few words. He began kicking at one of the boxes in frustration, his breathing becoming heavy.

"Hey!" Emma stood up and put her hand on his shoulder, tugging him forward as he fought against her grip. "Hey, come on..." She whispered, and eventually he relaxed his tensed muscles and gave into her touch. Her hands patted over his shoulders to pull him in closer as she linked her arms around his neck, his face against her soft hair-finding comfort in the embrace.

Dylan wasn't one to voluntarily show emotion, but Emma could just about hear quiet sob-like sounds against the crook of her neck. As much as they argued and clashed with each other; she knew how much Norma meant to him.

"It is not your fault," She assured him, weaving her fingers through his hair as she hugged him tightly. "She would kill you if she heard you saying that."

He sniffled and nodded, a quiet and breathy laugh escaping his lips. "Yeah she probably would..."

"She would!" Emma insisted with a smile, pulling away from the hug. Her smile faded slightly as she tilted her head, noticing the sadness in Dylan's eyes.

"I just can't believe-"

"I know." She nodded sadly. "It sucks. It doesn't seem right..."

"It isn't. It's not right. She deserved so much better than this." He muttered, kicking at the ground slightly. "The amount of shitty people that deserve out of this world still walking free while she is the one that loses her life-it's just shit, you know? Life is shit."

"Yeah it is." She frowned, glancing down at the ground.

"Hey, Emma...I don't wanna drag you with me...but-"

"Dylan." She reached her hand out to caress his cheek. "You need to go back, of course you do. And you're not going by yourself. I'm coming with you."

* * *

Dylan stood watching Emma place a bouquet of flowers next to Norma's grave, wrapping his arm across her shoulders as she stood back up. She leaned into him slightly, clearing her throat to get rid of the lump that'd formed.

He kissed the top of her head, rubbing her arm soothingly.

She laughed almost nervously, lifting her head up and wiping the material of his shirt gently. "I'm getting your shirt all teary, i'm sorry..."

"You _should_ be." He muttered, attempting to make light of things.

Letting out a breathy laugh, Emma leaned her head back against Dylan as she wiped a few tears from her face.

"It's so unfair..." Emma said for what felt like the 10th time, but she truly couldn't put it any other way. No matter how it happened, she didn't deserve this.

"Did you know she was only married to Romero for two weeks?"

She drew a sharp intake of breath, closing her eyes painfully. "That's awful."

"She was happy with him. Honestly, i'm pretty sure I've never seen her like that before. _2 weeks_ , man..." He tutted, looking away in the distance and tapping his foot in frustration.

"We should try and get hold of him later," Emma suggested. "I can't imagine how he must be feeling right now."

"Yeah." Dylan agreed quietly with a nod, his eyes drifting back to the sight in front of them. Blissfully unaware that they were actually standing in front of an empty grave; the two of them simply stared at the space-still in shock of the fact that it was even there in the first place. Dylan felt like this is something that he should be seeing in a nightmare-nothing more than some cruel nightmare to kick his ass in gear to apologize to Norma for being such an asshole-but it wasn't a nightmare. It was real, and it was right there in black and white.

 _In loving memory of_

 _Norma Louise Bates_

 _1974-2016_

 _Beloved mother._

He crouched down, sadly placing a hand against the cold granite.

"I'm so sorry, mom."


End file.
